The dramatic increase in the popularity of powerlifting has brought a concomitant rise in injuries resulting from competition lifts over 800 pounds. Powerlift competition involves three lifts: the bench press, the dead lift, and the squat lift, each of which carries its own risk of harm. The bench press is dangerous because a failed lift may cause the barbell to crush the competitors chest were spotters not present to relieve the weight. The most dangerous lift, however, is the squat lift in which a competitor places the barbell across his shoulders, steps forward from the rack, and squats until his thighs are parallel to the floor. Because the barbell rests on the competitor's shoulders he cannot merely drop it aside if he is unable to make the lift as he can in a dead lift. The two particularly dangerous portions of the squat lift are the step forward to clear the rack, and the actual squat. One lifter who failed with a 750 pound squat broke leg bones and tore leg muscles. The spottres have a particularly difficult time with the squat lift not only because the barbell is moving downward as opposed to upward in the bench press situation, but also because the barbell is being moved a greater distance, first out from the rack and then down to the squat position. While these problems are particularly acute in a competitive setting because of the incredible weight being lifted, similar problems occur to a lesser degree in all exercise gyms and recreation facilities.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,726 discloses two embodiments of a bench press safety device. The first utilizes an electromechanical jack to, in effect, catch the barbell on a failed lift, and the second utilizes a hand-operated hydraulic jack to set a counter-weight which will relieve the exerciser of the barbell in case of a failed lift. U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,662 discloses a weogjt;oftomg safety apparatus which utilizes a counter-weight and electrical motor to relieve a failed lift. U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,398 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,154 disclose weightlifting safety apparati which utilize mechanical stops to arrest the fall of the barbell in the case of a failed lift. U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,186 discloses a bench press safety device permitting the exerciser to relieve the barbell with the strength of their legs. None of these prior inventions disclose a safety device adequate for the needs of competition powerlifting. A powerlift safety device must be able to repeatedly "spot" or arrest the fall of a 1,000 or more pound barbell, permit lateral mobility to accommodate a particular weightifter's style, and allow the barbell to be free from cables, chains, and the like often utilized for safety purposes.